Switching device



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SWITCHING DEVICE Filed May 24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct., 281, K. SWU-r E-mL 22695350 SWITCHING DEVICE Filed May 24, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Oct. 28, 1941 SWITCHING DEVICE Raymond K. Stout and Theodore BHolliday, Dayton, Ohio Application May 24, 1940, Serial No. 337,042

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 5 Claims.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without the payment to us of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a manual device for performing selective switching operations in a plurality of circuits.

It is often desirable, in connection with selective switching operations rendering operative or inoperative certain ones of a plurality of circuits, to provide means for quickly rendering some or all of such circuits inoperative and for quickly restoring the circuits to an operative condition, without disturbing or affecting the original selective switching operation. For example, in a multi-engine airplane or the like having two independent ignition systems for each engine, it is desirable to have selector switches for each engine to switch in either the right bank ignition system, the left bank ignition system, or both, at the will of the operator. It is further desirable to provide a single, readily accessible and quickly manipulable means for simultaneously grounding, or otherwise rendering inoperative, all the ignition systems in all engines.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a novel switching device to accomplish desired switching operations selectively, individually or in various combinations.

A further object is to provide in a switching device of the type described an associated, independently operable common means for rendering operative or inoperative certain or all of the circuits involved in said switching operations, without disturbing said switching operations.

A further object is to provide in a selector switch, a manual operator for rendering certain or all of the selected circuits inoperative, the manual operator being conveniently manipulable for emergency operation and being eiective, when restored to its original position, to restore all the circuits selected by said selector switch.

A further object is to provide a novel plungeroperated switching mechanism.

A further object is to provide a switching device having a plurality of rotor elements operable independently of each other about a common axis.

A further object is to provide a selector switch having enclosed contacts, which is small and compact and at the same time capable of controlling a large number of circuits.

A further object is to provide a selector switch constructed of a small number of rugged parts Cil which may be quickly assembled by relatively unskilled persons.

These and other objects will be apparent as the description proceeds in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation View of the preferred embodiment completely assembled but without a housing, or cover member.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device of Figure 1, showing the device as it would appear when mounted on a panel or the like.

Figure 3 is a sectional View showing the assemblage of stator and rotor elements removed from the complete device illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a single stator and rotor element in operating relationship.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a stator element.

Figure 6 is a plan view of an'individual rotor element.

Figure 'i is a bottom plan view of the device illustrated in Figure 1, with certain parts omitted for clearness and including a wiring diagram illustrating external connections.

Figure 8 is a plan view of the rear plate assemblage with the upper cover thereof removed.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the rear plate assemblage, including the cam-operated switch mounted thereon, the remainder of the device being omitted for clearness.

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view of the plunger with its associated annular contact element and cam-operating disc.

In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the various parts are mounted upon and carried by a panel face plate l. Secured in the panel face plate I are stud bolts 2, or the like, which serve as part of a frame to carry those parts of the device not carried directly by the face plate I. As shown in Figure 1, the bolts 2 carry similar annular or ringlike stator members 3 and 3a, and spacer rings 4, all of insulating material such as fiber or the like. Beneath the above-described assemblage of stator members and insulating rings are insulating spacing sleeves 5, against which the rear plate assemblage 6 is secured as by means oi the nuts 'l on the stud bolts 2.

The assemblage of stator and rotor elements is best illustrated in Figure 3, wherein it will be seen that the stator element 3 serves the two independent rotor elements 8 and 8a, and the stator element 3a serves the independent rotor elements 8b and 8c. Each of the stator elements 3 and 3a has a plurality of resilient contacts lying in the plane of one face of the annular ring of the stator serving one rotor, and a second plurality of resilient contacts lying in the plane of the opposite face of the annular member serving another rotor. This double utility of the stator elements is best illustrated in Figure 3 in the case of the lower stator element 3a, which View shows the upper contacts 9 and I0 serving the upper rotor 8b. The same relationship obtains in the case of the upper stator ring 3. It will further be seen in Figure 3 that the four illustrated rotor members 8, 8a, 8b, and 6c are carried by independently rotatable sleeves I5, I6, I'I, and I8, respectively. In assembled relation these sleeves project upwardly through the face plate l and have attached thereto operating handles I9, 20, 2I, and 22, respectively, whereby the individual rotors may be independently adjusted to selected positions by manipulation of the proper operating handles. The face plate I may be provided with suitable indicia to facilitate the positioning of the handles as illustrated in Figure 2.

The assembled relationship oi a stator ring, such as 3a, together with a single rotor element, such as 8c, is illustrated in plan view in Figure a. Figure 5 shows the stator 3a by itself. Contacts 9, I0, and II on stator ring 30. lie in the plane of its upper surface, and hence do not serve the rotor 8c. The contacts I2, I3, and I4 lie in the lower plane oi the annular stator member and cooperate with contacts on the rotor 8c to provide the desired circuit connections in selected positions of the rotor. rIhe contacts S to I4 are attached to the stator ring by any convenient means, such as rivets 35. The contact strip 9 is shown to be attached to the lower face of the ring 3a, but its eiective contact portion is caused to lie in the same plane with contacts I0 and I I, as illustrated in Figure 3. Similarly, the contact strip I4 is attached to the upper face of the ring 3a, but its effective contact portion is caused to lie in the same plane with contacts I2 and I3.

Referring now to Figure 6, the rotor element 8c comprises an insulating disc 33 secured by means of rivets 34, or the like, to plate 23 attached to the hollow sleeve I8, previously referred to. On the rear side of said disc 8c connecting plate 24 electrically unites three contacts 25, 23, and 21, extending through the disc and arranged in the shape of an L. Similarly, a connecting plate 28 electrically unites three contacts 29, 3U, and 3I in the conguration of a second L interiitting with the rst L. Indentations 32 are provided to establish a dead or open circuit position of the rotor. Each of the contacts on the rotor is cupped or recessed to cooperate with hemispherical projections on the stator contacts.

Thus it will be seen that there may be obtained four positions of the rotor element relative to the stator element, to provide four different circuit connections between the stator contacts I2, I3, and I4. When the device of the present invention is employed as an ignition switch for an airplane engine, the stator contact I4 may be connected to ground, and the contacts I2 and I3 connected to the right and left engine magnetos,

respectively. The four different positions of the rotor will then establish in a first position, a circuit through the plate 24 connecting both engine magnetos to ground, corresponding, for example, to the off position of the lever LI in Figure 2, controlling the left inboard engine of a four-engined airplane. In the next position of the lever LI the rotor Ec will be seen to have rotated clockwise to the position illustrated in Figure 4, grounding the contact I2 connected to the right engine magneto, and permitting only the left bank ignition system to operate. If the lever 1.1" now be rotated another step in a clockwise direction so as to assume a position opposite the indicium R on the face of the plate, as seen in Figure 2, the rotor 8c in Figure 4 will have rotated another step in a clockwise direction so that contact I3 will now be connected to ground, thus rendering inoperative the left bank ignition system and leaving effective only the right bank ignition system. Rotating the lever LI another step in a clockwise direction to the last position sho-wn in Figure 2, denoted as Both, it will be seen that the contacts I2, I3, and I4 come to rest in the depressions 32, so that neither of the right bank or left bank ignition systems are grounded, whereby both ignition systems are effective to operate the left inboard motor. The cupped contacts on the r-otor cooperate with the hemispherical projections on the stator contacts to bring the rotor to rest at each step, so as to establish good contact. The construction and operation described in connection with the stator 3a and the rotor 8c pertains likewise to the rotor 8b and to the other stator and the remaining rotors. The two stators may be made identical, and the rotors will diier only by reason of the fact that the rotors 8 and 8b have their contacts on their bottom sides, whereas rotors 8a and 8c have their contacts on their top sides, since there are two rotors for each stator. Additional contacts may be provided on the stator and rotor elements to perform additional functions, and the number of stator and rotor elements may be multiplied to serve additional groups of circuits, without changing the basic design of the switch. It will be appreciated that the spacing rings and discs 4 may be provided with good bearing surfaces to support and guide the rotor elements both axially and radially, and that stops, such as shown at 3B, may be provided on the face plate, or elsewhere, to limit the angle of rotation of the rotors.

The above-described structure involving two stators and four rotors constitutes a selector switch which may be used on a four-engined airplane to selectively operate one or more of the four engines on either or both of the right and left bank ignition systems, and to ground both ignition systems on any or all engines, to render them inoperative as desired. In case of emergency it may be desired to quickly ground all the magnetos to render all the engines instantaneously inoperative. Additional structure incorporated in the device of the present invention to perform the latter function will now be described.

The rear plate, indicated generally by the reference numeral 6 in Figure 1, is best illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. Figure '7 is a view of the plate 6 showing various terminals 38 thereon for external connection to circuits to be selectively controlled, and a terminal 39 on one of the stud bolts 2 designated as a ground connection. An opening 40, located centrally of plate 6, exposes the rounded tips of resiliently mounted contacts 4I electrically connected to each of the terminals 38 and to the ground terminal 39, respectively. Springs 42 lying within channels in the plate 6 resiliently urge the contacts 4I into the extended position illustrated. Slidably carried within the innermost sleeve I8 is the plunger 43, mounted for axial movement in response to manual pressure applied to the knob 44. The lower end of the plunger 43 carries a disc-like, or cylindrical,

grounding contact 45 having an annular peripheral groove 46 therearound, adapted to seat the plurality of contacts 4|, thereby connecting all of the terminals 38 with the ground connection 39. External connections, such as indicated at 41 in Figure 1, may be employed to connect the various contacts on the stator elements 3 and 3a with the proper terminals 38 and 39 on the rear plate 6. Thus by depressing the knob 44 some or all of the circuits established by the selector switch mechanism previously described may be quickly and simultaneously grounded, or shortcircuited, without disturb-ing the set positions of the control levers |9, 20, 2|, and 22. If it is desired to again quickly re-establish the circuits selected by the control levers I9 to 22, it is necessary only for the operator to pull out the knob 44 to withdraw contact 45 from engagement with the contacts 4|, and thereby re-establish the energization of the previously selected circuits.

In addition to short-circuiting or groundingor otherwise rendering inoperative-the selected circuits, it may be desirable to simultaneously open an additional or independent circuit, such as a battery circuit or the like. This may be accomplished in the present device by the structure illustrated in Figure 9, wherein an additional or independent switch is also operated by the plunger 43. The plunger 43 carries fixed thereto an insulating disc 5!) engageable with a sloping cylindrical cam surface 5|, the relationship being sulch that upward movement of the plunger 43 causes the sloping cam surface 5| to move in a direction away from the plunger 43. In the lower limit of the movement of plunger 43, the disc 50 is in contact with the lower portion of the surface 5| and in the upper limit of the movement of the plunger 43, the disc 50 comes to restv within a groove 52 bounding the upper edge of the cam surface 5|. The groove 52 is designed to releasably retain the disc 50 against axial displacement. The cam surface 5| is @carried on a bell crank member 53 pivoted, in the present embodiment, on a bolt, or stud, 54 secured in the bottom plate assemblage 6. Spring contact elements 55 are secured to the bell crank member 53 in the manner illustrated, and engage the contact 56 when the camming disc 5l) is seated in the groove 52. When the camming disc 50 is displaced downwardly, as viewed in Figure 9, under the action of pressure upon the knob 44, a spring 51 causes contacts 55 and 56 to separate and open the cincuit established therebetween. Connection is made to this additional circuit by means of the terminals 54 and 56 illustrated in Figure '1, 54' being in the present embodiment the lower end of the stud or bolt 54, and 56' being the lower end of a bolt securing the contact 56 to the bottom plate 6. The insulating plate 58 forms a part of the bottom plate assemblage 6 and overlies the grounding Contact structure illustrated in Figure 8 so as to separate the switch 55, 56 therefrom. Spring 51 may be caused to abut one of the stud bolts 2 or one of the insulating sleeves 5 therearound, as illustrated in Figure 1. In the illustrated embodiment of the device the switch 55, 56 is designed to carry the battery load on an airplane, consisting of lights and the like, which it is desired to disconnect simultaneously with the grounding of the ignition systems in time of emergency.

While the device of the present invention is illustrated as used to form a selector and control switch in a multi-engine airplane, it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto. The device herein illustrated and described is of utility wherever it is desired to perform selective switching operations, rendering operative or inoperative certain ones of a plurality of circuits, and where it is desired to provide means for quickly rendering some or all of such circuits inoperative and for quickly restoring the circuits to an operative condition without disturbing or affecting the original selective switching operation. The plunger device might be'arranged to render the several circuits inoperative in a manner other than by grounding, as for instance short-circuiting on a return Wire, or open-circuiting, the prime requisite being that the function may be accomplished quickly by a single, natural movement of the operator. A case, or housing, may be provided to enclose the parts extending beneath, or behind, the face plate Various features may be used singly or in combination, and it is not intended to limit the present invention except in accordance with the scope of the appended claims.

Having now described our invention and in what manner the same may be used, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I

1. In a switching device, a face plate, a pair of posts on the rear of said face plate, an annular stator ring carried by said posts, a first plurality of fixed contacts on said ring and lying approximately in the plane of one face of said ring, a second plurality of fixed contacts on said ring and lying approximately in the plane of the opposite face of said ring, a first rotor having contacts adapted to selectively engage certain of said rst plurality of contacts, a second rotor having contacts adapted to selectively engage certain of said second plurality of contacts, said rotors being mounted on concentric shafts journaled in said face plate for independent rotation, a rear plate carried by said posts, a circular opening in said rear plate, a plurality of contacts disposed in the periphery of said circular opening, a plunger slidably carried within said concentric shafts, an annular contact on said plunger adapted to simultaneously engage said last-mentioned contacts, a cam-operated switch on said rear plate, and a cam-engaging projection on said plunger for operating said lastnamed switch.

2. In a switching device, a face plate, a pair of posts on the rear of said face plate, an annular stator ring carried by said posts, a first plurality of fixed contacts on said ring and lying approximately in the plane of one face of said ring, a second plurality of fixed contacts on said ring and lying approximately in the plane of the opposite face of said ring, a first rotor having contacts adapted to selectively engage certain of said first plurality of contacts, a second rotor having contacts adapted to selectively engage certain of said second plurality of contacts, said rotors being mounted on concentric shafts journaled in said face plate for independent rotation, a rear plate carried by said posts, an opening in said rear plate, a plurality of contacts disposed within said opening, a plunger slidably carried within said concentric shafts, and a contact on said plunger adapted to simultaneously engage said last-mentioned contacts.

3. In a switching device, a plate having an opening therein, a plurality of resiliently mounted contacts arranged around the periphery of said opening, an annular contact member adapted to substantially simultaneously engage all of said contacts, a plunger carrying said annular contact member in reciprocating movement, an upstanding Contact on said plate, an upstanding post on said plate, a contact pivotally mounted on said post for movement into engagement with said upstanding contact, and cam means for moving said pivoted contact in response to motion of said plunger, said cam means including a sloping cylindrical surface having a groove at one extremity thereof, said surface being operable to move said pivoted contact in the manner described, and said cam means further including a disk on said plunger adapted to ride on said surface to operate said pivoted contact and adapted to seat in said groove to hold said pivoted contact in a selected position.

4. A switch comprising a plate, an upstanding fixed contact on said plate, an upstanding post on said plate, a movable member mounted for pivotal action on said post, a contact on said member adapted to engage said fixed contact, a cam surface on said member conforming to a portion of the surface of a cylinder and terminating in a groove, a plunger mounted for axial movement in a line parallel with said post, and a disc on said plunger adapted to engage said cam surface to actuate said member and the contact carried thereby, and to seat in said groove to hold said last mentioned contact in a selected position.

5. In a switching device, an insulating annulus, a rst plurality of resilient contact elements extending inwardly of said annulus approximately in the plane of one face thereof, a second plurality of resilient contact elements extending inwardly of said annulus approximately in the plane of the other face thereof, a spacing annulus on each side of said insulating annulus, a rst rotor comprising a disk contained within one of said spacing annuli and having a face lying approximately in said first-mentioned plane, contacts on said face for interconnecting certain of said rst plurality of contact elements in selected positions of said first rotor, a second rotor comprising a disk contained within the other spacing annulus and having a face lying approximately in said second-mentioned plane, contacts on said face for interconnecting certain of said second plurality of contact elements in selected positions of said second rotor, said rotors being mounted on concentric shafts for independent rotation, and means for clamping said annuli together in compact face to face relationship to enclose said contacts.

RAYMOND K. STOUT. THEODORE B. HOLLIDAY. 

